Dearly Beloved
by RedTailedHawkens
Summary: This is my "If Zoe had gone to Boston after 1x21 Disaster Drills and Departures" Story.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Hi. So, I know I have a lot of other stories going, and I want to assure you I am not abandoning any of them. I just have so many ideas, and I am not the most patient. This one has been in m head for a while, like, since before season two started, but for whatever reason, I could never quite get around to it. A lot of people have written "If Zoe had gone to Boston after 1x21 Disaster Drills and Departures" Stories. This is mine. Enjoy.

Dearly Beloved

Prologue

"I still can't believe you're getting married." Zoe said. Her best friend of four years, Anna Klein, had apparently found Mr. Right, and was now mere months from walking down the aisle. She had asked Zoe to be Made of Honor, which Zoe agreed to happily. Anna was practically her sister at this point, so there was never even a question.

When Zoe first got to Boston, she felt more lost and confused than ever. It was the second time in two years that she had up and changed her entire life. She left everything behind in Bluebell. That's where she had been staying, Bluebell; Bluebell, Alabama. But she didn't like to think about Bluebell. She didn't let herself think about Bluebell. She had left that crazy town and it's eccentric characters behind for a reason. She didn't let herself think about the reason either.

When she first got here, she thought about the reason. A lot. She thought about how awful she had been and how badly she had screwed up. She thought about how much she missed everyone. She thought about how she didn't say goodbye.

It was the right decision; she knew it was. They were better off without her, and none of them wanted her there anyway, right? Brick was probably throwing a party.

She had thrown herself into her work, which was nice, and a familiar feeling. She had started to reconnect with her dad, which was so great she couldn't even describe it. But the rest of the time, if she wasn't with her dad or working, she felt plain miserable. She would do anything to erase that feeling. So, when one of her colleagues asked if she wanted to hang out after work, her first thought (though she would never admit it) was "perfect distraction."

Anna Klein turned out to be awesome. She was smart and driven and sweet and fun. She had a great sense of humor, and encouraged Zoe to break out of shell a little. It didn't take long for them to become friends. Zoe never used to bond with people so quick but, as much as she hated to admit it, her time in a small-town had changed her. Anna was so easy to get along with, and Zoe loved her. For financial reasons, the two had been roommates for the past two and a half years. Of course, that was all about to change.

Anna was marrying her dream guy, and despite the fact that the wedding was three months away, Zoe had still never met him. It wasn't that they had been avoiding each other at all; it had just worked out that way. Zoe had helped with planning, but, as everybody knows, the groom has little to do with that. Now, however, was crunch time. They were coming up on time for showers and rehearsals, which is why they were driving to his apartment right now.

"You'll love him. He's the best guy I've ever known."

Zoe smiled, "I know. You've been talking about him forever. It is so weird we never crossed paths."

"Well, as we both know, hospital hours are a bitch. And you actually did _cross paths_ a couple times, but you were still asleep and he was sneaking out, so I don't think it counts." Zoe laughed, "So, you given any thought to who is going to be your plus one?"

Zoe groaned. One of the downsides of close girlfriends; they were always trying to set you up. Zoe braced herself for the inevitable. "No."

"Well, if you'd like I could-"

"No." Zoe said abruptly, then laughed, "Sorry about the abruptness, and I appreciated it and all, but, no."

"I just don't want you to feel-"

"Hey, with all these Maid of Honor responsibilities, I don't even have time for a guy."

"Zoe. Come on, you haven't been with anybody since you and Craig split, which was five months ago. The mourning period is over."

"I know that. I'm not mourning. I just haven't met anybody I'm interested in."

Anna shrugged, "Well, maybe you'll meet somebody at the wedding. Ooh, like that Best Man. That's not uncommon, Maid of Honor and Best Man getting it on in a coat closet, and you're in luck, because he is really yummy."

"Should you really be saying that about somebody who is not your fiancé?"

"I'm just stating a fact. He's a very attractive guy. It doesn't mean I would ever do anything. I love Jess, you know that." Zoe nodded, "You could do something however."

Zoe rolled her eyes, "I don't need some random hookup."

"Okay, fair enough. I mean, he's always seemed nice, funny too, but I don't know him all that well. I've only met him a couple times."

"What is he, Jess's old college roommate, somebody who served in the army with him?"

Anna shook her head, "Brother, actually."

"What? He's his brother, and you barely know him. You spend almost all your free time over there. How is that possible?"

"Well, they're sort of working on things. They used to be kind of estranged, but then their father passed a couple of years ago, and it sort of helped them reconnect. Still, it takes time to rebuild a relationship." Zoe nodded, thinking briefly of her father. "Well, this is it."

They got out of the car and Zoe took in the apartment. It was beautiful. Anna's Jess clearly had great taste; point for him. Of course, how much Anna loved him basically gave him all the points he needed in Zoe's book, but she wanted to make sure he was good enough.

Anna unlocked the door with _her_ key (she had had it for a while, but she still got a little excited about it sometimes. It reminded her how close they were, and how they had no secrets), and they came inside. Anna ran into the living area, all excited and in love, and Jess lifted her up and spun her around. It was cute. It made Zoe ache for something like that.

After he put her back down, Jess and Anna turned to face Zoe, which is right about when Zoe's jaw dropped. She could tell from his expression that he was just as shocked as she was.

"Honey, this is-"

"Zoe?" he asked, interrupting her. The surprise was plain in his face.

Her tone basically matched his, "Jesse? Oh my god? What? You? You're Anna's Jess?"

"Apparently."

"You two know each other?"

"Not really" "Sort of." Jesse and Zoe both said.

Anna's face flooded with panic, "Oh god, please tell me this isn't one of those awkward, complicated, we used to date situations?"

"What? Oh, no. I mean, we almost went on a date once, but it never even happened. The truth is, we barely know each other." Zoe said, trying to calm her friend. It wasn't really hard; it was the truth. Jesse and her had flirted and gotten along, and she knew he was a decent, cute guy with a good sense of humor, but she had never been really into him. She hadn't even known him for more than a day.

"You promise?"

"Absolutely." As Anna sighed with relief, Zoe turned to Jesse. While her feelings for Jesse were not romantic, she did like him, and it might be nice to catch up … just so long as they avoided _certain_ topics.

"So, how've you been? I mean, other then the whole falling in love and getting engaged thing?"

Jesse smiled, "Good, good. You? Heard you got a fancy surgeon position?"

"I did at that."

"Well, congratulations."

"Good. This is good. You guys are catching up like old friends. No weirdness or anything. And I am so sorry about the Bridezilla attack by the way, I just freaked for a second."

"That's okay." Jesse said as he went over to hug her. He put his arms around her and kissed her forehead, "I love you, even if you are Bridezilla."

"Hey!" Anna said, in mock-offense. Jesse laughed.

"Well, glad that's all resolved." Zoe said.

Anna nodded, "I concur. I am so glad we won't have to deal with awkwardness like that."

"Actually …" Jesse started.

"What?" he didn't answer, and Anna started to get nervous again, "Sweetie, actually what?"

"Well, it's just, I think it might be a little awkward."

"But I thought you and Zoe-"

"Oh, Zoe and I'll be fine. We barely know each other. It's just … um-"

"Hey, Jess, did you pick up toilet paper last time you were out? 'Cause I was just in there and-" he stopped, mute the second he entered the room. Of course, Zoe had frozen up before that. The shock of it being Jesse had not really matched up in her head with what Anna had said about the Best Man in the car, but the second she heard his voice … well, it may have been five years, but it was still a voice she would know anywhere. She felt like a deer in headlights, and wanted to run, but she couldn't. He entered the room and his widening eyes met her already wide one's. Nobody spoke for a second; it was just awkward, painful silence, which really confused Anna.

Finally, Wade cleared his throat, and spoke up, "Doc. What're ya doin' here?" he said it as casually as he could. The truth was, as far as words, his brain was not really capable of processing much else at the moment.

It had been a while since somebody had called her doc. Every now at then, a patient at the hospital might, but it always felt weird, and wrong somehow. However, it had been a very, _very_ long time since she had heard Wade say it, and it gave her a warm feeling. It was like when you lose your favorite doll as a kid, and then years pass, and you become a teenager, and you don't really think about it anymore, when suddenly, it turns up in a lot of junk beneath your bed. You pick it up, and you smile at it, and it gives you this nice warm feeling to see it again. That was the sort of feeling Zoe got when Wade called her Doc just now.

Her head was still spinning, so before they headed into another awkward silence, Jesse spoke up, "Turns out, she's gonna be Anna's Maid of Honor. Small world, right?"

Wade was quiet for a moment, like he had gone mute again, but finally, he nodded uncomfortably, "Yeah, it's uh, it's microscopic. Listen, can I talk to you for a second?"

Without waiting for an answer, Wade left the room. Jesse shrugged and followed suit.


	2. Chapter One

Author's Note: Hi. Thank you so much for all of your reviews. I actually had this chapter written when I posted the first one, and I considered posting both, but I wanted to give you guys a chance to respond to the first one without knowing what happened in the second one.

Thank you to Reviewer. Yeah, I would never leave a story like that. Well, not never, because, you know, never say never, but it is unlikely.

Guest and Amber thank you. You guys are so sweet.

Mollie, thank you. You know I always like your reviews. I do not know that they are all that clever. Some of them are probably a little cliché, but it is just how I react to certain episodes I guess.

Thank you Lonestar. Yeah, there is going to be a lot of awkward in this story. That's part of what makes it fun.

Dyseskytten, thank you. Yeah, I feel that way too sometimes. When I first started my account, I was planning to do that, but I got impatient. Plus, reviews can help you in developing your story, and that cannot happen if it has already been written.

Apples200, thank you, that is nice to hear/read.

Janie, thank you. Ah, so you caught that did you? Yeah, I guess it is a little sad. I am a big Earl fan, but for this story, it just had to be like that. Aw, thank you. I try. I was a little worried that might seem kind of creepy, so thank you.

All right, here we go, chapter one. Second Author's Note at the end.

Chapter One

"What do you mean? You're my brother. You have to be at the wedding."

"And I will be; I just can't be Best Man."

"Wade-"

"I can just sit on the groom's side. I don't mind."

"You have to be _in_ the wedding."

"Well, I guess I could be an usher. I mean, I could pull that off. Usher's and Maid's of Honor ain't likely to mix, right?"

"Wade, I want you to be my best man. That's why I asked you. You don't think I have other people I could have asked? I have friends, some of whom I've been closer to over the years than you, but this is important to me."

"Like I said, I'll still come. I just can't-"

"Because of Zoe?"

"I just don't think-"

"Wade, I know you two have history, most of which you still refuse to fill me in on, but are you really going to drop out of the wedding party because of some girl you used to be hung-up on?"

"I distinctly remember telling you I wasn't hung up on her."

"And I distinctly remember not believing you."

"Well, that's your problem then."

"Wade, ever since dad … we've made so much progress. I am getting married. Married! To a girl I love more than I knew I could love. It is a big day for me; huge, maybe the biggest of my life, ever. And I asked you to be my best man because I want you there with me, and not as some guest, but _there, _standing right beside me; the one I have to turn to if I freak out or … I don't want another best man, so if you're not going to do it, I won't have one, and I don't want to remember my wedding day as the day my brother refused to be my best man. I want to remember my wedding day as my wedding day."

Wade nodded, "Fine. You got me. I'll play nice or whatever."

Jesse smiled, "Thank you."

"Hey, you think there's any chance she might drop out?"

"She's Anna's best friend. I don't see it happening. Sorry."

* * *

"What was that about?"

Zoe sighed. She had never talked much about Bluebell. In fact, when she told Anna that she had been forced to live in a small town and be a GP for nine months, the most specific she had gotten was a small town in the south. In retrospect, it would have probably worked to her advantage to name the place. Anna probably would have recognized it and told Zoe that that was where _her Jess_ was from, which would have given her way more warning than just the time it took for Wade to enter a room after she heard his voice.

"Zoe? Hello?"

Zoe snapped back to reality, "What?"

"Care to explain."

Zoe sighed, "Remember how I told you I spent nine months in a small southern town?" Anna nodded, "Well, it's the same town Wade and Jesse are from. Jesse, as you know, doesn't still live there. He moved away ages ago, so I only met him once when he came to visit, but Wade … that's a more complicated story."

Before Anna could ask for more details, hers and Zoe's cellphones went off. When both their phones went off at the same time, they knew what it meant. Work.

They were each just getting off when Jesse came back.

"Hey. Sorry about all that. I would've warned you, but, well, I didn't know your best friend Zoe was Zoe Hart of New York City." Jesse said apologetically.

Anna smiled, "You didn't do anything wrong. And I've already used up my Bridezilla moments for the week." Jesse chuckled. "I promise, no more freak outs."

"Those weren't big freak outs. 'Sides, brides freak out, and I don't want you makin' promises you cannot deliver on. That's a bad way to start our lives together."

"Well, I'll try to reign it in as much as I can."

Jesse smiled, then turned to Zoe, "You okay? I know you probably weren't expectin'-"

"I'm fine." Zoe said quickly. Jesse raised an eyebrow at her, "Really. Or, at least, I will be. This is about you guys, not something dumb that happened half a decade ago." Jesse smiled at her, "So, um, any other Bluebellians coming to this shindig?"

Jesse nodded, "Yeah, well, Lavon, and his plus one, whoever she may be, but other than that … I don't really have so many people I'm close with back there anymore."

Zoe nodded understandingly. "Well, I should get going, but it was nice to … re-meet you."

"Likewise." Zoe headed for the door.

"Zoe." She turned at Jesse's voice, "It'll get easier." She nodded gratefully, and waved goodbye.

* * *

"My mom loves you." Anna said as her and Zoe approached the house. She did still did not know how she had gotten roped into this. The two families were dining together to get to know one another, and for some reason, Anna seemed to think have Zoe there would help things go smoother. It was true that Anna's mom loved Zoe; she had welcomed the screwed up girl into her family with open arms. But Anna's mother was not the problem.

Zoe sighed, "Hasn't she already met Jesse?" Zoe had asked the question before, but she kept hoping the answer would change. The fact that they were walking from the car up the path to Anna's mother's house carrying a chilled bottle of champagne made that unlikely, and Zoe's chances of escape decreased with each step. She did not want to face Wade; how could she. They had barely gotten along before, but now he _hated_ her. He even wanted to quit being his brother's best man because of her. And she knew that even if she tried to be passive and ignore him, he would still try to bait her; it was just what he did.

"I told you, she wants to get to know his family, and the more people that she likes who are at dinner, the better the chances of it going well."

"Not if one of those people is me and his family is Wade Kinsella. You saw what happened at his place. This is just going to be awkward." She tried to explain so her friend would understand. In fairness, Zoe still had not filled Anna in on the finer points of her history with Wade, or any of the points even. All she had told her was that they had both lived in Bluebell, known each other for eight or nine months, and ended on bad terms. It was the only explanation Zoe could handle right now. She still could not believe her luck. What were the odds that her best friend would end up marrying Wade's brother? It was official; somebody up there definitely did not like her.

"Jesse made Wade promise to be on his best behavior." Zoe scoffed, "What?"

"Nothing, I just didn't know he had a best behavior." It was more a reflex than anything else. After what Zoe had done to Wade, she knew she had know right to claim superiority, and she wouldn't once they were all sitting down to dinner, but the idea of Wade having a 'best behavior' was just so insanely ridiculous.

"You know, you haven't seen him in years. People change."

Zoe nodded, "I know. I just … I get that this is a Maid of Honor thing, but can we try and keep the me and Wade contact to a minimum from this point forward?"

"He's best man. You're maid of honor. Your duties are going to mix."

* * *

Things had gone smoothly enough so far. Mrs. Klein had answered the door, hugging her daughter and Zoe with the love and affection of a mother who has not seen her girls in far longer than she actually had. Wade and Jesse arrived, all made up in suits and bearing gifts. The second Wade saw Zoe, he found an excuse to take Jesse aside again, Zoe excused herself to the bathroom in order to freshen up, and Anna, sick of being out of the loop, decided to eavesdrop on Wade and Jesse.

"You didn't tell me she was going to be here." Wade whispered.

"I was worried you wouldn't come."

"Yeah, well, you would have been right about that." Anna could hear the bitterness in his tone.

"You promised to be on your best behavior."

Wade sighed, "I still think it makes more sense for me to act badly. Make you look like the good one." Wade said, jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"If we were just datin', maybe, but she's marryin' into a family here, we're all gonna be family, and I want her to like mine."

"Since when do family members like each other?"

"Wade-!"

"Relax, okay, I know. I'll behave, you know, long as she does."

* * *

Anna made all the necessary introductions, introducing her parents to Jesse's brother, and her aunt to Jesse, as she had not met him yet. Mrs. Klein had served chicken noodle soup, which everybody was now quietly eating. The silence was awkward, but some feared it might be more awkward to speak. Finally, thankfully, Jesse spoke up.

"This soup is delicious Mrs. Klein."

"Thank you Jesse."

"Please tell me you taught your daughter the recipe."

She laughed, "Well, I tried, but she never really had a knack for cooking."

Jesse nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Anna, "Sweetie, I'm sorry, but I think I'm gonna have to call off the weddin' and marry your mom instead."

Anna slapped him playfully.

And then, the silence was back. Anna looked at Zoe pleadingly.

"Um, so, Jesse. Are you still doing that ecogeothing?"

Jesse laughed. "Eco-geological Oceanographer?" Zoe nodded, blushing, "Yeah, I'm still doin' that."

"Jesse and Wade are both very successful, self-sufficient people mom." Anna said, clearly trying to sell the boys to her family. "Jesse put himself through college, and Wade-"

"I'm just a bartender." Wade interrupted, "Nothin' special there."

"What are you talking about? I thought you owned that place."

"He does." Jesse said, trying to keep the annoyance from his voice.

"You opened up your own place?" Zoe asked cautiously. She felt like she was bird watching, and she had to be extra careful not to get to close or do anything to spook them into flying off.

Wade nodded, not looking at her, "I … I think that's really great. Congratulations."

Wade snorted, but then Jesse kicked him under the table, and he spit out the sincerest "thanks" he could muster. It would have to do.

"You own your own bar? Well, that's impressive, opening a place up, especially in this economy."

"Thank you." Wade said politely.

"That sounds like quite an undertaking son," Anna's father said, joining in the conversation, "Must have taken a lot of good old-fashioned sweat to get the place going."

"Well, it was no picnic, but it was worth it. I mean, I didn't get it goin' as early as I would like." He looked at Zoe for the first time, but his look was cold and methodical and nothing like Wade. He caught her eyes and held them. She saw the pain and anger etched in his, and it made her ache. "Took a while to get the money. I almost got enough few years back, but that didn't really pan out." She couldn't take the look in his eyes any more, or the angry set of his jaw. She looked down at her lap, and when she looked back up, he had turned his gaze back to Mrs. Klein.

It was clear to everybody in the room that an unspoken tension had joined them at the dinner table, but most of them did not understand what it was. In fact, some weren't even sure where or who it was coming from, so all they could do was try and keep the conversation going.

Jesse, who knew the most, other than Zoe and Wade of course, kept shooting his brother warning looks and kicking him under the table, including one awkward moment where he accidentally kicked Anna.

"How did you get the money?" Mrs. Klein asked.

"Um, it was, uh, inheritance, actually." He coughed awkwardly.

That's when Zoe remembered what Anna had said earlier, about how Jess and his brother had been estranged, but reconciled when they lost their father. She had not put it together before, but now, she knew what it meant.

Wade's father was dead. Crazy Earl was dead. The man Wade had spent forever protecting, had given up his own future for. She wanted to reach out and take his hand as a show of comfort and support, but she knew he wouldn't take it,

"Oh, Wade, I'm so sorry." Wade avoided her gaze. She knew she should probably stop talking, but she couldn't. She couldn't believe he had gone through that and she hadn't been there. Not that she could have offered a lot. She was terrible with touchy feely stuff, and her and Wade were never best friends forever, but still, she felt she should have been there for him, to offer something, "I know how much he meant to you." He still wouldn't meet her gaze. Going against her better judgment, she tried reaching out for his hand, which had been resting on the table, but he saw her coming and subtly moved it to his lap. Zoe retracted her hand, biting her lip nervously. "It must have been hard for both of you." she said, directing the comment to Jesse. "I am so sorry."

Jesse nodded appreciatively, "That's very kind of you Zoe."

She smiled, grateful to have somebody treating her nicely and acknowledging her existence.

"We lost our dad a couple years back." Jesse said, by way of explanation to the Kleins.

Mrs. Klein, who had met Jesse before, multiple times, already knew of course, but Mr. Klein had not had as many encounters with his daughter's fiancé, and Anna's aunt, of course, had had none at all, "Shame, losing parents so young." Mr. Klein said. Everybody nodded solemnly.

"Wade's bar is a great place though." Anna said, trying to perk everybody up, "There was another bar in that town that ran straight out of business and had to close because they couldn't keep up with the competition."

"The Rammer Jammer closed?" Zoe asked, surprised.

"Yes, it has." Jesse answered, intercepting before Wade could say something to Zoe that would provoke him to kick his brother under the table again, "Shame. Place has been there forever, but Wade's is way better. It would have to be, ya know, to make an old established place like that close down.

Zoe nodded, ""It must be pretty amazing."

"Could have been better if I'd had more years to work on it." Zoe tried not to roll her eyes, " 'Sides, you probably wouldn't like it. It doesn't have that sophisticated, suit wearin' feel to it. Not likely to meet a bunch a lawyers hangin' out."

Zoe took a deep breath and counted to ten, reminding herself how badly she had hurt Wade, how she had screwed him over, and led him on, and that he had every right to take his little shots at her. She had no right to be angry.

"So, Zoe, you and Anna work together at the hospital, right?" Zoe nodded, a little thrown by Jesse's forced smile, which had a hint of a grimace, "What's that like?"

"Oh, it's amazing. Anna is awesome to work with. And I've learned so much, from the program, and from her."

"He already asked me to marry him, Zo, you don't have to sell me to him." Anna said, though Zoe could tell she was flattered.

"It's true. None of this would have been the same without you. Other than being an amazing friend, we make an amazing team."

Wade snorted, and when both girls looked in his direction questioningly, he leaned over a little towards Anna, and said, "I'd be careful with that if I were you."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked. She was genuinely curious, but Jesse grimaced again, wishing his fiancé's curiosity hadn't overridden her commonsense.

"Just that some people, you think you're makin' a great team with, and out of the blue, they pull a one eighty on you."

Anna nodded, pretending to understand. She'd have to ask Zoe later.

"Well, Wade," Mrs. Klein started, trying to ease the tension, "it is certainly nice to get this chance to get to know Jesse's family. I'm so glad you decided to stay." she passed the rolls over to Wade.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Mrs. Klein blushed, "Well, I thought I overheard a little argument going on earlier. It sounded like you were maybe uncomfortable-"

"No ma'am, I'm fine." He said quickly. Then, he shot Zoe another cold look, "And even if I wasn't, I'm not the kind of person to just up and leave when things get a little rough."

"You have got to be kidding me." Zoe said, slamming her fork down on the table. That was her breaking point, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Wade said innocently.

"Don't give me that crap. You've been making little jabs all night. Out of respect for my friend, her family, _you_r brother, and even you to an extent, I have done everything I could to refrain from saying anything, but this is just getting ridiculous."

"And what is so ridiculous about it exactly?"

"I haven't seen you in _years_ Wade, _years_. Everything that happened, it happened _years_ ago, and it's not like everything didn't work out. It would be different if you were still working on it, but you got the money for your bar-"

"And that makes everything okay then, doesn't it? I mean, it's not like my dad had to die for me to get the startup money or anything."

"I am sorry about your father Wade. He was a good man."

"Please" Wade scoffed, "You thought he was a loser and a bum just like everybody else did. Anybody who didn't wear a suit was just somebody to turn your pretty little nose up at."

"Where did you get this idea that I have a thing about suits?"

"It's not the suits. It's what the suits represent."

"And what do the -" Zoe stopped and took a deep breath. Then, she stood, and turned to Mrs. Klein, "I am so sorry for this Mrs. Klein. My behavior tonight was rude, and I'm sorry." Wade rolled his eyes, "I think I need to go home and cool down, but it was a lovely dinner and I'm sorry I spoiled it."

Mrs. Klein smiled at Zoe, the two women hugged, and Zoe gathered up her purse.

"Big surprise, things get a little rough, you're out the door! Some things never change."

"Don't pretend like you wanted me to stay. You hated me, and clearly you still do."

"Well, maybe if you stuck around, you could've gotten me to forgive you."

"I was doing you a favor. I was trying to make things better for everybody."

"No, I don't think so. I think your reasons were just as selfish as they always have been. I think you had no friends, and you didn't want to have to see the wedding happen. You got offered an out, and instead of sticking around and suckin' it up, or tryin' to fix what you broke, you jumped on the first train outta there fast as those crazy heels of yours could carry you."

She wanted to yell back, but she had already caused enough of a scene, and she knew that this argument would probably never be resolved. If Wade still hated her after all this time, he was always going to. It wasn't her job to fix things, especially if he didn't want to make the effort. More than that, she was just tired.

"Thank you again Mr. and Mrs. Klein. The food was delicious, an again, I am so, so sorry."

She left as quickly as she could, before Wade could say something else to provoke her. Even after all this time, he still knew how to get under her skin. Some things never change.

* * *

Author's Note: So, that was a fun dinner, right? I know it seems insane that they would even attempt it, but Wade has been pretty closed book about his and Zoe's "falling out," so Jesse only knows what he saw first hand, and that something happened later between them and Zoe left. Everybody else is pretty in the dark. I hope you enjoyed, and be prepared for the possibility of our happy couple trying their hand at a little matchmaking. Sorry for the lack of length. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer. I have not started on it yet, but I have some idea of what is going to happen. Let me know what you thought. Have a nice day.


	3. Chapter Two

Author's Note: Hi. So, I know it has been a while. I apologize for that. I don't really have much to say here so, thanks to those who reviewed, please review again, and I hope you enjoy.

To Those Who Reviewed:

Simone, Thank you. I am glad you liked it.

Kristy, Thank you so much.

Lonestar, Thank you for reviewing. As for the animosity, I thought it was clear, but the last time they saw each other was pretty much the Bluebell Battle. This is a "what if Zoe had gone to Boston in 1x21" story. I am sorry if that was unclear. Yeah, it is difficult to deal with drama of friends and family, but that's why we love 'em. The fact that you feel bad for Anna implies that you like her though, so that's good, because she is a major character in this story, and I was not sure how she would be received.

Mollie, I agree with you about clichés, as long as it is in the proper context. I'm glad you love it. Yeah, there is definitely going to be some angry confrontations, probably at least one per chapter, though I cannot say that for sure, but it isn't supposed to be mean and angsty. This is a lighter, funnier story. Well, it is intended to be anyway. Yeah, well, I think that is how some people, such as Wade, deal with hurt. In all honesty, I never thought Zoe really did anything wrong. I mean, yes, making him lose was bad, but he was really mad at her because of the George thing. She cannot help who she likes, and she hasn't exactly been hiding her feelings for George from Wade. She did sort of lead him on, but it was unintentional. She never meant to give him that impression, and she did want to help him. As for having it out, like I said, there will be a lot of it, but as for having one blowup where they address _all_ their issues, well, you know I don't like to rush these things.

Samantha, Thank you so much. That is so sweet.

Lori23, Yeah, he didn't exactly make a great impression.

Chapter Two

"I'm goin' to kill you!"

"It wasn't that bad." Wade said, trying to sound casual. He was lying, of course. He knew it was that bad; he was just trying to calm Jesse down.

"Look, I don't know what your deal is with Zoe, but whatever the hell it is, you better get over it and quick, because I swear to god Wade, I can't even-"

"Hey, I told you we shouldn't be in the same room together. I tried to bow out, but-"

"I'm beginin' to think I should've let you!" both brothers were quiet, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, it's just, god Wade, are you tryin' to kill me or somethin'? Because I can not even imagine what Anna's mom must be thinkin' right now."

"I'll apologize to her."

"You better. And you better clean up your act too."

Normally Wade would argue. He did not like to be bossed around, especially by Jesse. However, he knew that, in this case, Jesse was right. He had been an all-around ass. Zoe just brought that out in him sometimes – well, most of the time, actually, and especially when he was pissed off at her, or turned on by her, and both had always been constants in their strange relationship.

Relationship. What a word. What was wrong with him, letting Zoe get to him like this? He hadn't seen her in years, and it wasn't like he never thought about her, but still, after all this years, suddenly she shows up in his life again, and it's like nothing has changed. She certainly hasn't, or doesn't seem to. She's still the stubborn, pigheaded, slightly psychotic, arrogant, selfish, self-centered – no, Wade had to stop himself. This is how it had all started. Letting himself think of Zoe Hart only ever led to trouble. It did not matter whether the thoughts were complimentary or derogatory; they still always led to the same hellish situation and he ha no desire to relive any of that. Besides, it was not really like she was back in his life. Just a few short weeks, bachelor/bachelorette parties, planning a couple things, a rehearsal dinner, the big event, and then he would never have to see her again. He could survive that. Hurricane Zoe was not going to blow through and destroy his life again. It was just a small tropical storm. It would pass a million times quicker, so it could not possibly do near as much damage. He had survived at least four or five months as her neighbor before she started to cause any real damage; in the beginning, the most she did was blow his power out. A lot. But it was nothing compared to what she did later on.

* * *

Zoe had been pacing angrily, trying not to explode. What the hell was wrong with him? Where did he get off? Forget about how he had behaved to her, what about his brother, and Anna, and the future in-laws. Didn't he care at all about how his actions affected those around him? She realized how ironic the question was, considering one of the last conversations she and Wade had way back when. Even now, after all this the, the words still occasionally echoed in her mind.

"_You are so obsessed with getting what you want that you don't care who you hurt."_

It wasn't true. She knew it wasn't. At least, that's what she told herself. Sometimes she wondered … Maybe she just needed to believe it wasn't true. Maybe she had been deluding herself. Could she be that person? The selfish girl Wade had accused her of being so long ago. She tried so hard to help people. She was a doctor for god's sake; she had taken an oath to "do no harm." How had she ended up harming so many people?

Zoe was shaken from her thoughts by a tapping on her door. It was probably Anna, either coming to yell at her for ruining her dinner, or, more likely, to see it Zoe was okay. While Zoe knew she deserved the former, she also knew Anna, and Anna was more likely to do the latter. Was there some reason that she ended up with friends so selfless and forgiving as Anna? Were people like that the only ones who could tolerate her?

The knock came again, reminding Zoe she had not actually moved. She opened the door, but instead or Anna, she saw Wade holding a paper bag.

"Hi." He said, grimacing slightly.

She folded her arms defensively, "What do you want?"

"Can I come in?" Zoe raised her eyebrows in an, 'are-you-kidding-me?' sort of expression. Wade held out the bag to her, "peace offering." He explained when she didn't take it.

Zoe examined the bag skeptically, but she took it, and motioned for him to come in.

"Nice apartment." Wade said awkwardly. She could tell he was uncomfortable, and at a total loss for what to say, but she was not going to help him. Somewhere deep down, she remembered this was all her fault, but she was still so pissed off, and it wasn't always easy to keep a clear head in these sorts of situations.

She opened the bag and found a bottle of the guava shampoo she liked; the one Wade once stole from her to give as a gift to his 'girlfriend.'

Wade just stood there looking around, and Zoe sighed, "You can sit. I mean, if you want." Wade sat on the couch. He shifted around a little uncomfortably, "Yeah, um, sorry, that cushion is a little weird. The other one is fine though." Wade nodded appreciatively and scooted over. Zoe sat on a chair across from him, "So, um, thanks, I guess." She said awkwardly.

"Yeah, well." Wade said, shrugging. It wasn't really a response, but Zoe knew Wade well enough to know it was probably the best she was going to get. "Listen, I know that that dinner was … uncomfortable, and that we left things kind of … rocky, all those years ago, but, I figure, there ain't no reason we can't be adults about this. It's just a few short weeks and then we're out of each other's hair."

Zoe sighed, relieved, "Exactly."

"Yeah, so, we can be, ya know, civil, for Jesse,"

"And Anna."

"Yeah."

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a minute, "Well, I should get goin', but, I mean, truce, right?" Wade asked as he stood.

Zoe nodded, "If we could survive being neighbors for, like, eight months, we can survive this."

"Exactly. Um, enjoy the uh - " he motioned to the shampoo.

"I'll try."

* * *

"I already apologized to her mom, and called a truce with Zoe, so you can stay off my case, all right?" Wade said in slight irritation. He had not liked swallowing his pride and going to Zoe like she was the victim, and he was in no mood to talk to Jesse.

"I wasn't aware I was on your case." Said a voice that definitely did not belong to his brother. He turned around and saw Anna.

"Sorry, I, uh, I thought you were Jesse."

Anna nodded, "I figured as much." Wade was quiet. "So, can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah, right. Sorry. Uh, come in." Anna came and took a seat on the bed as she examined the room. Of course, she had been here before; it was Jesse's guest room. She just hadn't been here since Wade showed up. Other than a guitar case and a picture of their mom on the nightstand, it didn't look any different.

"I like what you've done with the place."

"What, I'm gonna hire an interior decorator for a place I'm stayin' in less than a month?"

Anna chuckled, "Good point. Still, I don't see a suitcase or-"

"I already put my clothes in the drawers, and I left the empty suitcase in my car."

She nodded, "Sorry. I tend to be hyperaware of little details. Confessions of a former neat freak. Plus, after I did my psych rotation, I started seeing hidden meaning in everything. Like when I first met Zoe, I thought it meant something that she would never run her blow dryer and charge her computer at the same time. I tried once and she practically bit my head off, but when I asked her about it, she just shrugged it off."

Wade couldn't help but smile a little. So, she had finally learned how not to blow the generator. Ironic that it would happen _after_ she moved out

"What?" Anna asked, noticing his smile.

"Nothin'." He said with a shrug. "So, uh, not that I mind the company. In fact, to be honest, of the people at that dinner table, you're probably the only one I could stand to be around right now, but … what are you doin' here?"

Anna chuckled, "You mean after that performance? You don't think I have something to say."

Wade sighed, "Listen, I'm sorry-"

"Oh, no, I'm not angry. You apologized to my mom, and Zoe, which was nice of you-"

"How'd you know I apologized to Zoe? She tell you?"

"No, you did. When you thought I was Jesse, remember?"

"Oh."

"Anyway, to be honest, that is not the worst family dinner we've had," Wade raised his eyebrow at her skeptically, "I am being completely serious. You should have been here when the guy I lost my virginity to came over to meet the parents. Now _that_ was an interesting night." Wade chuckled, trying to imagine what could be worse than what they had just endured, "But, things were said at that meal, things I can't just ignore. Partly because I'm curious, and partially because I'm worried-"

"I won't mess up the weddin'. I told Jesse-"

"I know what you told him, but this isn't about the wedding. I'm worried about you and Zoe. I'm worried about Zoe because she's my friend, and you because you are my future brother in law, you mean a lot to Jesse, and you seem like a decent guy."

"Well, thanks for the accolade, but don't you think it makes more sense to talk to the friend than the person you barely know."

Anna shook her head, "I know Zoe, and she's not going to open up, at least not to me right now. And you don't exactly have people banging down your door to make sure you're okay. Plus, sometimes it's easier to open up to somebody you don't know very well, an unbiased observer."

"You're Zoe's best friend." Wade said flatly.

"True, but I barely know you. Jesse's your brother, but he's still going to talk to Zoe about what happened just now with you two."

"What?"

"We divided it up. He should be over there by now."

"Why?"

"Like I said, it can be easier to open up to somebody you don't know so well. And for what it's worth, Jesse might be annoyed with you right now, but that doesn't mean he isn't worried. I can see it in his eyes."

"Yeah, well, you don't know him like I do."

Anna nodded, "Yeah. That would be incest."

"You're kind of bizarre, you know that?"

Anna just nodded, "Ordinary is boring and highly overrated." Wade chuckled, "So, you wanna tell me what's going on?"

"It's nothin'. Me and Zoe just have … history."

Anna curled her legs under her, "Yeah, no kidding. I know that idiot."

"Hey!"

"What, we're almost family, and sisters call their brothers that all the time. It's a term of endearment really."

"I think I'm beginnin' to get why you an' Zoe are friends."

"Good, we're talking about Zoe. This is progress."

"Look, if you want me to tell you the whole story-"

"I know it's not my business, but wouldn't it feel nice to get it out there? Tell somebody your side of things, and only your side? I promise I won't get all defensive of Zoe. I'll pretend I don't even know her. I'll even call her a bitch if it'll make you feel better."

Wade chuckled again, "Okay, listen, I'm only tellin' you this once, I'm not givin' a lot of detail, and I'm not repeatin' if you miss somethin'." Anna nodded and looked up at him eagerly, "Few years back, when I came up with the idea to start up a bar, I, well, I didn't exactly have the start-up cash. But, there was this town competition, kind of like a town wide scavenger hunt mixed with that like survivor show. Grand prize, $5,000. I mean, it's not like winnin' the lottery or anythin', but it would've been enough to start up a bar. So, my partner get's injured, and even though we're in a fight, I swallow my pride and ask Zoe to be my partner-"

"So you two were friends at this point?"

"We were … neighbor's." Anna nodded, "Anyway, I'd pissed her off, but I didn't want to apologize because, well, I didn't think I'd done anythin' wrong. But I needed a partner, and she was the only eligible person who didn't already have a partner and would actually be useful. We partnered up, and things were goin' great. We were just behind the people in the lead. We got to the last task, puttin' this fishin' rod together and usin' it to get a magnetic plastic fish from the top of the church. We got everythin' organized, basically had the rod ready to go. It just had to go get a screwdriver. So, I go to get the screwdriver, right? I'm gone maybe, one, two minutes, I get back, Zoe isn't even there. She's off talkin' to some guy, and as for the rod, well, I guess she kicked it or somethin' because everythin' we had got put together was knocked into the grass. All the work was undone. We'd have to start all over, and another group had basically won. So, that's what happened. Zoe agreed to help me, got distracted by her … personal life, and lost me $5,000." Anna looked at him, nodded, and then suddenly she just burst out laughing, "Hey, whoa, hey. You said you wouldn't judge."

Anna shook her head as she tried to get a hold of herself, "I'm not," she couldn't get the words out, and worked to calm herself down. Finally, she got herself under control, "I'm not judging you."

"Then what's with the laughin'?"

"It's just … I have never heard a bigger load of crap in my whole life."

"Hey, it's true okay, that happened-"

"Oh, I have no doubt that it did, and I'm sure you were annoyed at the time, but there is not a snowballs chance in hell that that is what all this is about. You don't hold onto that much venom and anger for five years over something so small and petty."

"It's not, petty, okay, if she had just stayed put-"

"You would have gotten the money to open your bar. I know. It's a pain. But there is more to the story. Zoe may have all but failed psych rotation, but not me. You are way too smart to hold onto something like that this long."

"I'm not all that smart. Just ask your friend."

"You may not be smart in the most traditional way, but you're smart." Wade scoffed, "That's not even the point. You can deny it all you want, but the kind of pain and anger your harboring can not just be about money that you ended up getting eventually anyway."

"It's not just the money."

"No?"

"No. I was countin' on her. She said she'd help me. I trusted her as my partner, and in the home stretch she ran off. She knew how important it was to me, but she wasn't in that race for me. She was in it for herself. She made her prize priority over mine, put her needs first just like she always does, and we both walked away with nothin'."

"Her prize? I thought the money-"

"Yeah, well, Zoe had other reason's for enterin' the race. Reason's she neglected to tell me when she agreed to be my partner."

"What reasons?"

"That is a story she can tell you if she wants."

Anna nodded and stood up, "Listen, Wade, I don't know about your history with Zoe, but whatever happened, whatever broke between you two that day, it's not to late to fix it."

"How do you figure?"

"Because I know Zoe. Night Wade."

He waited until Anna left to start getting ready for bed. Anna was going back to her apartment. An apartment that she shared with Zoe. An apartment that Zoe would be sleeping in.

It was strange, knowing where she was after all this time. It was not like he had never thought about looking for her, but she had fallen off the map. Lavon said her dad got her a fellowship, but that she hadn't said where. She hadn't kept contact; not with anybody. Lavon, Rose, Addie, none of them had heard from her. Wade had always figured she was probably in New York. He never would have guessed Boston. In any case, there was a difference between having some idea that she was somewhere in New York, and knowing that she was sleeping in the same town as him. There was a difference between thinking that someday, if he ever went to New York, there was the slimmest chance he would see her again, and knowing that all he had to do was ask Jesse or Anna for an address.

Realizing he wouldn't be able to sleep, he sat up and began to strum.

* * *

"Thanks for coming over." Zoe said, as Jesse got ready to leave.

"Any time."

"I'm serious. Thank you. I would figure you would side with your brother. Not that there are sides, I just-"

"It's okay. And listen, if you ever need to talk…" Zoe nodded, "He really doesn't mean to be such a jackass. It's just how he deals with stuff sometimes."

Zoe giggled in spite of herself, "Believe me. I know."

Her and Jesse hugged and said their goodbyes, and then he left. It had been nice of him to come over; it was nice having somebody to talk to. Of course, she hadn't told him much. She didn't know exactly how much Wade had told Jesse over the years, but from what Jesse said, she got the impression that Wade had mostly kept their history to himself. She figured he had a reason, and she decided to respect it. She owed him that.

So, her and Jesse had just talked. He had told her what he had been up to and subtly slipped in tidbits about Wade every now and then. She was grateful; it saved her from having to figure out a subtle way to ask.

Aside from the bar, Wade had apparently taken some night classes in Mobile about business management. He wasn't seeing anyone, but that didn't really surprise her. And, apparently, he had done some traveling. Nothing major, he had stayed in the US, but he had gone to the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore. At first it was a way for him and Jesse to bond and reestablish their relationship, but Wade had kind of liked traveling. He had never been able to get out of Bluebell because he had to be there for his dad, but now he could. He had gone to check out Florida and Washington, New Haven, and Boston, obviously, though that was mostly to visit Jesse. He hadn't been to New York though. When Jesse asked him why, Wade said he didn't see the point in going a place when he already knew he would hate it. New York was polluted and loud, everybody was rude and in a hurry, and all the girls were stuck-up, self-centered bitches. Jesse hadn't pushed the issue.

When he had said that, Zoe had tried to act casual, but while she could shrug off the pollution comment, or the everybody being in a rush thing as being about New York, the last part was obviously about her. Jesse seemed to pick up on her discomfort; Zoe had never had a great poker face. Considering that the last, and only time Jesse had seen Zoe before was that infamous weekend when, among other things, Zoe overheard Wade call her selfish, snobbish, and superior, it didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

Jesse had tried hard to reassure and comfort her with hugs and kind words. Then, she started to yawn and caught sight of the clock. It was pretty late; in fact, she was beginning to wonder why Anna hadn't come home yet. Normally, she would assume she was with Jesse, but that obviously wasn't the case. Jesse didn't seem worried though, and Zoe knew that she was prone to overreact, so she decided to give it a little time. Sure enough, shortly after Jesse left, she heard the key in the lock.

Zoe was already in bed and had just turned out the lights, but she could see the door well enough, and she was able to confirm that it was in fact Anna.

"I am so sorry. I apologized to your mom and-"

"Forget about my mom." Anna said, taking a seat, "I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine."

She could practically hear Anna rolling her eyes, but evidently, she decided to let it go, because soon after, Zoe heard the door open and close.

* * *

So far, Wade and Zoe had been able to keep their truce. They were coordinating dates with each other and Jesse and Anna, so that no events overlapped.

"All right, so, here's what we have left," Zoe said, checking the list she had made. Wade rolled his eyes, trying to suppress a smile. Having a checklist was just so … Zoe, "bridal shower, bachelor/bachelorette parties, reception, and ceremony. The Bachelor and bachelorette parties should happen at the same time, so we need to coordinate those. There is no Groomal shower, of course, but we do need to make sure that the guys don't get in the way … unless they want to join?" she looked and Wade and Jesse questioningly.

"You're kiddin', right?"

"According to my research, the whole point of the shower is gifts. The bachelorette and bachelor parties say goodbye to being single, a final hoorah, but the shower is meant to celebrate the wedding."

"I thought the wedding was supposed to celebrate the wedding."

Zoe just rolled her eyes, "Okay, well, if you change your mind, I need to know. The date of the Rehearsal and Wedding are obviously set and the place is booked, but we need to go over seating charts."

"Since we have to coordinate the bachelor and bachelorette party, why don't we focus on that now?"

"Well, it's not like the other stuff, I mean, we both need to look at the seating charts because we know different things."

"What, like who's allergic to what?"

"No dummy, like who can't stand to be around who, who will cause a scene, who should not be seated with who … plus, we need to plan a time to rehearse for the wedding."

"Wouldn't that be the rehearsal?"

"Well, yes, but there is only one rehearsal, and some people might need more practice than that-"

"Practice for what, walkin' in a straight line? I think you're goin' a little far with this doc."

"I am not! Anna is my best friend, and I have never been a Maid of Honor before. This wedding has to be perfect. If it isn't, it will be my fault!"

"Zoe, relax. I'm not one of _those_ brides. I didn't ask you to be my Maid of Honor because I knew you would make it go off without a hitch, I asked you because you're my best friend." Zoe smiled, "Zoe, let's just focus on coordinating time for now. You and Wade can focus on the bachelor and bachelorette parties."

"You know, some of this stuff is supposed to be a surprise. You guys shouldn't even be here."

"Yeah, but we were worried if left alone, you two might kill each other." Jesse said, winking at Anna. Wade snorted and Zoe rolled her eyes.

"Okay, we need to look at our date books, and see when we're all free." Zoe took out her date book, and a copy she had made of Anna's months ago. Anna took out the actually just in case she had added anything since, and Jesse took out his iPhones. "Wade?"

"Doc, come on, you think I'm the kind of guy to have a datebook. I got somebody watchin' the bar from now 'til the weddin', seein' as how I couldn't run it in Boston, so pick a time. Odds are, I'll be free."

"Yeah, I guess _you_ would never risk missing a bachelor party." Wade smirked at her insinuation.

"You sure you don't mind me havin' one, babe?" Jesse asked.

Anna giggled, "It's fine. I'm having one."

"Listen to her Jess." Wade said, mock warning in his tone.

"Okay, okay. I guess it might be kind of fun. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever been to a bachelor party before, well, except George Tucker's, but I wasn't even actually invited to that."

"You guys know George Tucker?" Anna asked.

Wade's head snapped up.

'_Crap!' _was all Zoe could think. She tried to get Anna's attention, motioning for her to shut up before it was too late, but the bride-to-be was looking at Jesse.

"You know George Tucker?" he asked.

Anna shrugged, "Sure, he's a friend of Zoe's. They used to talk on the phone all the time."

_Crap, crap, crap!_ Zoe could feel Wade's eyes on her, so she did her best to look anywhere else. "You know, we should probably talk about what we're going to do at the parties. Anna, any special requests?"

"And here I thought you up and cut all Bluebell residents out of your life. Guess you had to make an exception for Golden Boy, huh?" Wade said. He was trying to sound casual, but she could hear the venom in his voice. _So much for a truce._

Sighing, she looked at him. He was glaring at her, the look in his eyes somewhere between anger and hurt, "Wade, it's not like that."

"You know he's married now, right?"

"Yes. I know he's married. And before you ask, I know he and Lemon have a kid, and that they are expecting another one."

Wade turned to Anna, "Anna, why'd you say they_ used _to talk on the phone all the time?"

Anna could tell she stepped in something. She looked to Jesse for help, but he didn't know what to tell her. It wasn't like he knew about any of the George drama.

"I think she means what she said. Can we please drop it?" Zoe said through clenched teeth.

"I'm just curious. Come on Anna, what'd you mean?"

Anna looked at Zoe, seeing the panic in her eyes. She did not really know what was going on, but she could not take back what she said. She could try to ignore Wade's question, but if his situation with Zoe taught her anything, it was that he was not the type of guy to let things go. "Um, I just … well, they still talk, and he's come to visit once or twice, but there was this time about two years ago when he was calling a lot more frequently. It's not as much now." She looked apologetically at Zoe. Zoe just sighed. It wasn't Anna's fault. She was in no way equipped to deal with Wade and his petty vendetta.

"That's funny. If memory serves, I seem to remember Lemon and George havin' troubles a couple years back. Know anything about that, Doc?" his voice was casual, even friendly, but his eyes were steel.

"That had nothing to do with me." Zoe said defensively.

"Really? 'Cause, the timin' seems mighty ironic."

"I'm not saying it isn't related, it's just not what you think."

"Do tell?"

Zoe knew what Wade thought, but it really wasn't like that. A couple years back, Mayor Lavon Hayes had started dating AnnaBeth Nass, Lemon's best friend. It was basic girl-code that you never pursue a friend's ex, and AnnaBeth was a loyal friend, so she never would have, except she didn't know. Lemon and Lavon had had an affair when Lemon and George were doing long-distance. Zoe, as Lavon's best friend, had found out and promised to keep the secret. Then George had found out, and almost canceled his and Lemon's wedding. Eventually, he forgave her, and they got married as planned. Most people didn't even know they broke up. The Reverend and Lemon's family knew, though, to preserve the mayor's reputation, Lemon had not revealed to them who she had the affair with. So, the only people who really knew about the affair were Lemon, Lavon, George, and Zoe.

When AnnaBeth and the mayor had started dating, Lemon couldn't say anything, without trashing both her's and Lavon's reputation, but George could tell it bothered her. He started to feel a little insecure about the whole thing, worried Lemon still had feelings for Lavon.

By this point, her and George had long ago established that any feelings they might have had for each other were over. George needed somebody to talk to, and obviously, Lavon and Lemon were out of the question, so he had confided in Zoe. She had listened to his concerns and given him advice. Eventually, she had convinced him to confront Lemon about how he was feeling, and while at first, it seemed to just make things worse, the two of them got through it, and Zoe liked to think maybe she had something to do with it. Zoe Hart, saver of marriages. When you know for a fact that you are the reason your parent's got divorced, it was good for the ego.

George had thanked her for being there for him, and even Lemon had been grateful. They weren't friends, but they weren't enemies anymore. Zoe was no longer 'stealing' Lemon's father's practice, and she was no longer a threat to her and George's relationship, so there was a level of toleration. Lemon knew that they talked, and was actually okay with it. She trusted George and knew he needed somebody to confide in. Zoe still wasn't her favorite person, but she no longer hated her, or felt threatened, and she had to acknowledge that Zoe's advice played a role in saving her marriage.

So no, it was not about what Wade thought, but Zoe couldn't exactly tell him that.

"George just needed somebody to talk to. Somebody he could trust." She said with conviction in her voice, even though she knew how lame and vague it sounded.

"Sure, sure. And I'm sure you're motives were completely selfless. That must be why you kept in touch with him and nobody else."

"I didn't keep in touch with him! I didn't keep in touch with anyone! Nobody knew where I was, which is why a whole year after I left, George and Lemon did not expect to run into me when they were taking a weekend away up here." Wade scoffed, "We were all surprised to see each other, and it was a little awkward and uncomfortable, but seeing them together, George married, Lemon clearly pregnant just made me realize how long it had been since I thought about him. How not jealous and totally over him I was. And it was nice to see a friendly face, and Lemon was in her second trimester, and I was curious about how everybody was back in Bluebell and they were curious how I was doing so we all went and got a bite and caught up. It was nice seeing George. It was even nice seeing Lemon. So, we kept in touch. Well, George and I did. Nice seeing Lemon is not the same as becoming BFFs with her."

"Yeah, I'm sure it was that innocent." Wade said sarcastically.

"It was! God, Wade, I hadn't seen the guy in a year, and when I saw him, he was with his pregnant wife! And I don't seem him everyday now. He comes up here once, maybe twice a year. And yes, a couple years back, he and Lemon were having problems, and he needed somebody to confide in, and he knew he could trust me. And do you know why he knew he could trust me? It was becausehe _knew _that I no longer had those feelings for him. Do you honestly think I'd still be hung up on him after all this time? After not seeing him for a year, and then seeing him married and expecting a child? After all this time away from each other, how pathetic would I have to be to still be carrying a torch for him?"

Wade's face was still angry and judgmental, but there was something else there; embarrassment. And then Zoe knew. She had thought maybe, but now she knew for sure. The feelings he had for her when she left were still there. She had suspected as much, because, why else would he still be so mad at her after all these years, but the look on his face just now, the way he reacted to that particular statement, she was certain. After five years of not seeing her, Wade was as into her as ever. It made her heart feel sick. She had never wanted to hurt Wade, and it seemed that even now, after all this time, she was still hurting him. She had so hoped he would be over her, but, it would appear not.

"I mean, I guess, it … it wouldn't be completely pathetic." She said trying to backtrack, "I mean, you know, it would be for me, in my circumstance, because, you know, he is married with a kid, and another one on the way, but, I mean, if it were a single person, it wouldn't necessarily be pathetic to hold a torch that long. It could, it could be sweet. Like Gatsby and Daisy. I mean, yeah, she dies at the end, but, it was still sweet. And who are we to judge what makes these things pathetic anyway? Some people get over people in a month, others like the same person as much five, or ten, or twenty years later. And, it's not pathetic. I mean, I don't think it is. Is it? It isn't. I don't think it is." She knew she was babbling like an idiot, but she just couldn't get herself to shut up. Sometimes, she really hated that about herself.

"Doc, what the heck are you talkin' about?" He was looking at her like she had two heads. She didn't really blame him.

"I was just, I was saying, what I was trying to say was," she paused, and then gave him an awkward smile, "we should really get back to planning things."

"Uh … yeah, sure."

Well, he may think she is insane, but he seems to have forgotten about the George thing for now. He was certain to remember and bring it up again at some point, but for now, she was in the clear, and she was so relieved.

* * *

It had been a long day, even for him. They say the groom only has to show up, but apparently that is not always the case. He didn't really mind the wedding planning though. What he did mind was feeling like a babysitter for his thirty-four years old brother. He was so relieved that today was behind him, and he could just cuddle with his bride to be. He sat on the bed and took his socks off as he watched Anna taking off her makeup in front of the bathroom mirror. He loved that she felt comfortable leaving the door open. He loved even more that she felt comfortable letting him see her without makeup. So many of the girls he had dated had wanted to pretend that was how they really looked and god forbid he see them before they put on some blush or lipstick. But Anna was special.

"I think that went well, all things considered." She said as she headed over to join him on the bed. "Only one major squabble, and they seemed to get past it … though I'm not exactly sure how."

"Yeah, well, we just need to keep those two as far away from each other as possible." Jesse said, resting his head in his hands.

"Are you insane?" she asked, turning to him wild-eyed.

"What?"

"You think we should keep them apart?"

"Those two are like a nuclear bomb waitin' to go off. We're better off in a cold war than a hot one."

Anna just shook her head, "I love you, but you can be such an idiot." He looked at her confused, "It is so obvious that they are into each other."

"Ya think? I mean, I know he is, but as far as her, I'm not sure-"

"I'm not saying she might not need a little … push, but I think it can be done."

"Look at you, wantin' to play matchmaker." Jesse said with a laugh.

"I just want them to be happy … plus, I think it might be kind of fun. I've never done that before. Why not embrace my inner cupid."

Jesse shrugged, "Well, if that's what you want, I'll go along."

"Have I mentioned how perfect you are today?"

"Nope. But you're more than welcome to show me."

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, so, I have never been involved in a wedding, so I used the Internet, a website called bridesmaid101.

I looked up groomsmen too, but there is not so much out there about their responsibilities, and remember, it is only a few week until the wedding, so there is only so much left to do. If you know anything about weddings, and can think of another way to throw them together, feel free to let me know.


End file.
